East Midlands Trains marks ten year charity partnership with Railway Children

The Pickering Paxman charity railtour at Whitby with power car 43082, staff and volunteers from Railway Children, EMT, BLS and 125 Group. Funds raised from the special train have since increased to £30,000! Photo ©Tony Shaw

Ten-year partnership between East Midlands Trains and Railway Children charity celebrated with special train service ‘The Pickering Paxman’ on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR)

Cheque presentation of £30,000 raised by the railtour made at London St Pancras to mark decade-long partnership

A special train on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway was recently chartered by East Midlands Trains to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its partnership with Railway Children, successfully raising £30,000 for the charity.

Staff and volunteers from East Midlands Trains, North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR), the 125 Group, Branch Line Society and Railway Children were out in force on Saturday 15 July to ensure the event’s success. The special service ran from Derby via Chesterfield, Sheffield and York on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR), from Grosmont to picturesque Pickering and then onward to Whitby. It is believed that this was the first time in Pickering’s history that the iconic High Speed Train has visited the ancient market town.

The route took in stunning scenery across Derbyshire and Yorkshire, where films such as Harry Potter and famous television shows like Heartbeat have been filmed. Once on the NYMR, there was a special rededication naming ceremony to mark the decade-long relationship between East Midlands Trains and Railway Children.

Jake Kelly, Managing Director for East Midlands Trains, said: “Everyone involved had been looking forward to the big day and the opportunity to raise money for such a good cause. All of the prep work we’d put in with our operations partner Direct Rail Services paid off as the day went like clockwork, and the support from the 125 Group, Railway Children and Branch Line Society was fantastic.”

Presentation of cheque for £30,000 to Railway Children at St.Pancras 1st August with (left to right) Ian Mortimer Branch Line Society Treasurer, Darren Ward East Midlands Trains Head of Drivers, Jake Kelly EMT Managing Director and Anuradha Chandran Head of Corporate Partnerships at Railway Children, not forgetting EMT power car 43046! ©Geoff Plumb

Anuradha Chandran, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Railway Children, said: “Railway Children were delighted to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our partnership and greatly appreciate the incredible support of East Midlands Trains, North Yorkshire Moors Railway, the 125 Group and Branch Line Society.“

All funds raised through our valuable partnership with East Midlands Trains and their customers will have a very real impact on the lives of vulnerable children in the UK, India and East Africa. Just £5.95 will allow us to feed a child in India three meals a day for a week and £25 would be enough to take a child off the streets in East Africa and get her home safely.”

Chris Price, General Manager of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, said: “Although we run a wide range of locomotives ourselves, it was an historic occasion to welcome two stunning class 43’s to our heritage line and a unique opportunity for passengers to experience the North York Moors National Park from a special High Speed Train service.”

Depot Construction Essential for 125 Group Acquiring HST

Prototype HST with Mk3 catering vehicle 10202 on test at Ruddington GCR(N), 08/09/2018. ©125 Group

125 Group confirmed today (11th September) that it had taken its first steps in readiness for obtaining a High Speed Train (HST). The announcement was made as the group confirmed that £37,448.58 has so far been raised for its HST Depot Appeal. The group needs to raise £100,000 to build a HST Depot at their base at Ruddington on the Great Central Railway (Nottingham).

With the group over a third of the way towards meeting the £100k price tag, building companies have been engaged and plans are currently in development. Production HST power cars are likely to become available in the near future, and 125 Group needs to construct a depot building to properly house and maintain these important vehicles before they are acquired.

The structure is needed to protect their growing fleet from the elements, as well as provide a dedicated under-cover space for volunteers to carry out preservation work. 125 Group recently purchased Mk3 catering vehicle 10202 from Arriva. The carriage is being restored for use on service trains at GCR(N) and has already successfully run over 140 miles on test. 10202 will be used when regular buffet 10206 is under maintenance, profits from on-board catering are a valuable part of the group’s income.

Gary Heelas, 125 Group Chairman, said:

“We’ve been blown away by the fantastic start to our depot appeal. To raise so much in such a short time is a testament to our dedicated members and generous supporters. Without a depot, we will have nowhere to protect any future HST vehicles that we acquire, and going without simply isn’t an option.”

We welcome private donations and corporate sponsorship for our HST Depot Appeal.
More information is available at:  www.125group.org.uk/depot
To discuss corporate sponsorship please contact:  depot@125group.org.uk